On July 15, 2023, I walked onto the Millennium Stage with my violin and a heartbeat that felt like an extra percussionist. The National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute had compressed weeks of growth into one evening, but the real performance began long before the lights came up.
I started preparing months earlier with a practice log taped above my desk. Each day had a purpose: slow intonation drills with a drone, metronome “pyramids” for tricky runs, and fifteen minutes reserved for sound—just long tones, eyes closed, listening for a core that would carry in a hall larger than any I’d played. I recorded myself, circled lapses in a red pen, and learned to treat mistakes as coordinates, not verdicts.
SMI itself stretched me further. In orchestra rehearsals, I learned that leadership in the second violin section isn’t volume—it’s clarity. Counting rests became an act of generosity; a well-cued entrance made everyone else braver. In chamber coaching, our coach asked us to “listen past the note.” I began to hear harmony as conversation—my line could ask a question, another could answer, and sometimes the best thing I could do was leave space for silence to speak.
The day of the concert, something small went wrong: a page turn snagged, and I lost a measure. Old me would have chased the mistake; SMI me breathed, listened for the principal’s bow, and reentered as if I’d meant to rest. The confidence didn’t come from perfection; it came from having rehearsed poise.
After the final chord rang out, I realized what had changed. Music had shifted from something I executed to something I stewarded—for my stand partner, my section, and the audience member hearing the piece for the first time. That sense of stewardship now shapes how I learn in every setting. At [College], I want to bring the same habits—measured preparation, collaborative listening, and resilient curiosity—to both the orchestra and the classroom. The Millennium Stage taught me that excellence isn’t just playing in tune; it’s tuning a community to a shared purpose.
